Ridge leveling attachment



-May 12, 1942. A, A, KQlsTlNEN 2,282,367

* RIDGE LEVELING ATTACHMENT Filed April 7, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jo 61 A .i760

ATT'oRNEYs May 12, 1942- A. A, Kols'rlNEN RIDGE LEVELING' ATTACHMENT v ATTORNEYS Patented May ll2, 1942 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE p y' 2,2sz,367

nmol: LEvELlNG ATTACHMENT Arnold A. Koistinen, Bryant, S. Dak. Application April 7, 1941,seri1N. 387,335

(ci. 37-180) I' bracket l1, best shown in Figure 8,` which is bolt- 2 Claims.

This invention relatesv to a ridge leveling attachment and has'for an object toz provide a device of this character which may be attached to the front of a tractor to make -a level path over ridges for the front wheels of the tractor to follow, thus making it possible to cultivate at a higher speed and the front wheels. l

A further object is to -provide a device of this character which will be formed of. few strong, simple and durable parts, which will be inexpensive to manufacture, and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view, the

invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modications may be vresorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacric ing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the front portion of a tractor showing a ridge leveling attachment, constructed in accordance with the invention, in longitudinal section.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the ridge leveling attachment.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the ridge leveling attachment. I

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the ridge leveling attachment. f

Figure 5 is a vertical sectionaL view taken the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view oi the tool bar.

Figure 7-is a detail sectional view taken on the line 'I-l of Figure 2- Figurej8 is a detail perspective view of the front end of "the beam. Figure 9 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 1 showing the push rod.

Referring nowto the drawings in which like chacacters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, I designates a conventional tractor having a pair of small front wheels II mounted close together upon a dirigible axle I2,a beam I3 is secured to the axle through the medium of bolts I4, which are passed through llanges I of the front axle bearing I6, as best shown in Figure 2. The beam extends forwardly from the front axle to a point in advance of the promote easier steering of ed to the beam, as shown at I3, and is provided forwardly of the beam with spaced hinge eyes I9. A tool bar 20, best shown in Figure 6, is provided with a cylindrical central portion 2| which is rotatably received in the hinge eyes I9 of the beam. The tool bar is provided with substantially rectangular end portions 22 at the opposite ends of thevc'ylindrical portion 2I, and is -provided on the cylindrical portion with a crank arm 23 which extends upwardly and rearwardly above the beam. A

As best shown in Figures 2 and 4, arms 24 are .provided with` respective rectangular socket members 25 at the front ends, which are received on the rectangular end portions 22 of the tool bar. The socket members are preferably formed of two sections bolted together, as shown at 26, to rigidlyk secure the arms-to the tool bar. Each arm is equipped at the rear end with ra ridge leveling shovel comprising a bracket arm A2l, which is hingedly connected at its upper end to the respective arm 24 by a pivot pin 28r A blade 29 is adjustably secured to the lower end of the bracket arm 2l by a bolt 30 passed through the blade and a slot 3| in the bracket arm. -A helical spring 32 is connected at one end to an eye 33 formed on one of the bolts 26 of the respecvtive socket member 25 and the rear end is connected to an 'eye bolt 34 which is adjustably secured to the bracket arm 2l. The eye bolt is engaged through a slot 35 inthe bracketarm to permit the bracket arm rocking rearwardly when the blade 29 strikes a rigid obstruction to prevent breaking of the blade. The spring 32 normally holds a stop lug 36 on the upper end of the y; bracket arm 2l in engagement with the underside o! the respective arm 24 to limit forward movement of the blade under urge of the spring.

A pair of'spaced disks 3l, and a gear 38, welded to and between vthe disks, are rotatably mounted on a stub shaft 39 which is disposed transversely in a fork 40 at the lower end of a lever 4l, which is pivoted at the lower ends of the branchesI of the fork to a hinge eye 42 formed of a base plate 43 which is bolted to the beam I3, as shown at 44. A link 45 is pivotally connected at the rear end, as shown at 46, vto-a respective disk 3l and is pivotally connected at the front end, as shown at`4'I, to the upper end of a'. respective crank arm 23, best shown in Figure 2.

The gear 38 meshes with an arcuate rack 48 disposed at the upper end of posts 49 which rise from the base plate 43 on opposite sides of the :iront wheels and is equipped with@d U-shaped hinge eye 42.

disks 31 will be rotated by the gear 38 meshing with the teeth o! the rack 48, and 'the links 45 will move the crank arms 23 forwardly to rock the arms -24 and carry the blades from the operative full line position, shown in Figure 2, to

- the raised released position shown by dotted lines. When the lever 4l is pulled rearwardly, .the above described movement of the part's is reversed.

A combined push and pull rod 50 is slidably fitted in an inverted Ushaped strap guide 5| secured to the tractor, as best shown in Figure 1. Forwardly of the guide, with a link 52, which is hingedly connected at the rear end to the rod, as shown at 53,"and at the front end isA provided with a fork 54, best shown in Figure 9, which is adjustably and pivotally connected to the upper end of the lever 4l through the medium of a. pivot pin 55, passed selectively through a series of openings 56 formed in the upper end of the lever. The rear end of the rod 50 passes through a slot 51 formed in a vertically disposed bar 58 whichA is bolted to the tractor, as shown at 59; A leaf spring 60 is secured to the upper end of the` bar and bears upon the upper edge of the rod 50 to holdV the lower wall of the slot 51 interchangeably received in a series of'notches 6| formed in the lower edge of the rod 50 to lock the combined push and pull rod in operative position to hold the blades 29v in position to level a path through ridges for the front wheels Il, or in releasedv position to hold the blades raised.

Since the operation of the parts has been de-V scribed as the description of the parts progressed,

the push rod is providedI it is thought the invention will be understood without further explanation.

What is claimed is: 1. A ridge leveling device for a tractor having a :frontv vvdirigible axle equipped with ground wheels. comprising a beam secured to said front axle and extending forwardly therefrom t`o a point in advance of said ground wheels, a tool bar rotatably mounted on the front end. ofthe` beam and extending laterally in both directions beyond the beam, arms fixed to the tool bar at opposite sides of the beam extending rearwardly from the tool bar, blades pivotally connected to the rear ends of the arms, coil springs connected tothe blades and arms for holding the'blades in operative position to level a ridge in front of said ground wheels, arms securedto the tool bar at` opposite sides of the beam and extending upwardly and rearwardly therefrom, a lever pivotvally mediated on the beam near the rear end of the 'beam and extending upwardly therefrom, a pair of spaced disks and a gear integral with and between the disks rotatably mounted on the lower end of the lever, links extending from the upper ends of the second named arms to the disks, a stationary rack carried by the beam meshing with said gear, a combined pull'andpush rod ex` tending rearwardly from the upper end of said lever adapted `to move the lever for rotating the disks with resultant 'actuation of said second named arms to raise or lower the blades, and means for securing the lever in adjusted position -on the tractor.

-2. The structure as of claim 1 and in which said means comprises a vertically disposed bar secured to the tractor having a vertical slot theren' push rod. l

f' ARNQLD a KOISTINEN. 

